Scores of Livelihoods Hang in Balance in a Raygadh Village After Suspension of Fishing Licence

On June 2017, the government of Gujarat issued an advertisement seeking tenders for fishing contracts in three lakes. Following this, Asha Matsya Vikas Khedut Magalam Mandal, an all-women cooperative of Jawangad (Raygadh) village was awarded the contract for fishing in Pratapsagar lake for five years with effect from July 2017 to June 2022.

Noticeably, on February 2, 2018, an order from the office of the Collector and local office of fishing, Sabarkantha, suspended the fishing contract awarded to the cooperative. The women of the cooperative, since then, have made several representations and submitted a memorandum to the Collector’s office in Sabarkantha, requesting that the suspension order be revoked, but no heed was paid to the request. The women of the cooperative haven’t been able to fish in the Pratapsagar lake yet.

After a last representation was made in the Collector’s office on July 7 this year, which also went in vain, a petition was filed in the Gujarat High Court by Ashaben Sinh Makwana, President of the Asha Matsya Vikas Khedut Mangalam Mandal.

‘Brahmins Object to Fishing’

“The contract of the cooperative was cancelled after some Brahmin villagers objected, stating that fishing in the lake will hurt their religious sentiments,” Subramaniam Iyer, the advocate who has filed the petition on behalf of the cooperative, told the Newsclick.

Incidentally, by the time the tender was awarded to the cooperative, one Hiralal Punamal Joshi from the Raygadh village had filed a PIL in the High Court challenging the tender on the ground that fishing in Pratapsagar lake would amount to hurting religious sentiments. However, Joshi withdrew the PIL in April this year and also wrote a letter to District Collector of Sabarkantha, stating that he didn’t have any objection to the fishing tender.

Home of the villagers in Jawangadh whose contract was cancelled 

“The PIL filed by Joshi wouldn’t stand in the court, hence he withdrew. There are multiple shops selling eggs and meat in and around Raygadh. Why would his religious sentiment suddenly be hurt because of fishing in the lake?” says villager of Raygadh on condition of anonymity.

However, due to the PIL by Joshi, a rider was mentioned in the contract stating that the contract was subject to the outcome of the PIL.

“A division bench of Gujarat High Court, comprising Justice Anant Dave and Justice Biren Vaishnav on August 29, had issued a notice to the Fisheries Department of Gujarat after the preliminary hearing of the petition. When the government awarded a legally valid contract to the fishermen, can such contract be suspended on the ground that the authority has received objection from certain people belonging to upper caste (Brahmin) contending that their religious sentiments are hurt on account of such fishing?”  said Iyer.

Fishing Families Left in Lurch

Despite the withdrawal of the PIL, the fishing contract still remains suspended.  Noticeably, the families who were awarded the contract are the ones who were displaced when the Pratapsagar lake was formed in the 1970s. They were handed a meagre compensation with promises of employment. The scope of the promised employment, however, came more than 30 years later.

“The contract was awarded on October 24, and permission was given in back date from June 2017 to July 2022. However, permission to enter the lake hasn’t been given yet. As a result, fishing couldn’t be started. Before the cooperative could get the permission from the Fisheries Department to enter the lake, an order from the Collector’s office was issued on February 2, 2018 suspending the fishing contract,” said a relative of Ashaben.

No Livelihood Following Displacement

After lands were submerged in Pratapsagar lake, the affected families were pushed to an area called Jawangadh in Raygadh village. These families have not had any stable employment or housing since then. Most of the families living in Jawangadh currently are below poverty line (BPL) and live in abysmal living conditions. Their children rarely go to school.

“My husband works as a daily wage labourer and I take up any work I get around Raygadh. My husband manages to earn around Rs 200-400 a day, while I earn Rs 100-200 a day,”  says 30-year-old Ashaben who has to feed a family of six, including her four children.

Ashaben 

Padamsinh Tulsi Mawana, Ashaben’s husband, like other men of Jawangadh, travels 40 kilometres to and fro everyday to Himmatnagar city in search of work.

“Currently he works in a company where he has to carry marble slabs,” Ashaben adds.

“The cooperative had to pay Rs 19,459 for the lease and Rs 3,892 as security deposit to the office of Assistant Director, Fisheries Department, Himmatnagar. This money was raised by villagers,” says another villager of Jawangadh.

Most Families Are BPL

The cooperative was formed a year ago under the initiative of District and Village Development Agency (BRDA) who work with BPL families among other developmental work.

“We have a patch of land where we grow some vegetables, apart from Asha and her husband working as labourers. But other families don’t have any land. They solely depend on the money they earn from working as a labourers,” says Tulsi Jotsi Makwana, Ashaben’s father-in-law.

Not The First Instance

Noticeably, in 2001, a fishing contract awarded to Machh Ucher Sahkari Mandali cooperative was cancelled on similar grounds.

“In 2001, some villagers belonging to the Brahmin caste had objected to awarding a fishing contract in Pratapsagar lake. Following which the contract awarded to Machh Ucher Sahkari Mandali was suspended. After the contract awarded to Ash Matsya Vikas Khedut Mangalam Mandal, an RTI was filed seeking the reason for suspension. In the response, it was stated that a memorandum was filed by Hiralal Joshi of Raygadh village who claimed that their (Brahmins) religious sentiments will be hurt if the cooperative begins fishing in the lake,” says a relative of Ashaben.

“Hiralal Joshi and his business associate grow Indian chestnut in the Pratapsagar lake without proper permission. Hence, he raises objection every time a tender for fishing is the Pratapsagar lake is floated by the government,” he added.

The government has to file a response in accordance to the court’s order in the matter.

“This fishing contract had come as ray of hope in many years,” says Tulsi Makwana.

“All we can do now is wait,” he adds.